Saluting Climate Smart communities

November 26, 2013

Congratulations to the Cochecton Town Board for voting unanimously to adopt the Climate Smart Communities Pledge.

However, we need to correct an error in The River Reporter’s story. In remarks attributed to the town supervisor, the pledge was referred to as having been drafted by the county. In fact, the pledge is part of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Climate Smart Communities Program. The DEC, not Sullivan County, drafted both the original pledge and the revised version that Cochecton has adopted. While the 10 key elements of the two versions are the same, the revised version omits language describing suggested town actions. This wise improvement makes the pledge more succinct and easier to tailor to each municipality’s needs and circumstances.

We applaud the towns of Cochecton, Lumberland, Tusten, Bethel and Delaware for making this important commitment to effective energy planning in response to climate change, and we would be happy to assist other towns and villages that want to join the Climate Smart Communities Program.